Re: [Gnumed-devel] Smoking status - revised.

[Jim Busser]

On 2011-01-30, at 12:34 PM, Karsten Hilbert wrote:

>> The other problem is how to support the possibility that a long list
>> of things will each have different importance to different doctors to
>> be able to easily see in each patient's record:
>> 
>> - …
>> - smokes
> 

From

        http://www.nbatc.ca/documents/Quitlinesforsmokingcessation.pdf

        EMRs can be used to remind clinicians to document smoking status, 
deliver brief advice, prompt for prescription of cessation medications, and 
facilitate referrals to counselling. Linder et al36 performed a 
cluster-randomized, controlled trial in 26 primary-care practices over 10 
months examining an EMR-based intervention to improve cessation treatment in 
this setting. They developed and implemented a 3-part EMR enhancement that 
included smoking-status icons, cessation-treatment reminders, and a form to 
facilitate medication prescriptions as well as fax and e-mail counselling 
referrals. The primary outcome was the proportion of documented smokers who 
made contact with a smoking-cessation counsellor. They found that, although the 
prescriptions for cessation medications were the same in both treatment and 
control groups, the EMR-based system improved smoking-status documentation and 
increased counselling assistance to smokers.

-- Jim